On the Right Path
by MrsMosley
Summary: I left SR feeling that Lois and Clark weren't heading in the right direction. This is my attempt to get them turned around.
1. Perception

Chapter 1 –A child's perception

Lois had forgotten to pick up Jason from school. Again. She was a good parent but when she got involved in a story, time ceased to exist. So when she arrived at the school 35 minutes late and gathered him into her arms, her heart felt very heavy as she heard him begin to cry.

"Baby, Mommy's so sorry she forgot to pick you up on time. Please don't be sad, I just lost track of time." But Jason silently shook his head, indicating that, no, he wasn't upset by this. It was habitual with her, and even at the young age of not-quite-five, he had learned not to take it personally. "So, why are you crying, Jason?"

"I keep thinking about being on that boat, and all the water, and, and..." His voice trailed off as the sobs and sniffles overwhelmed him.

"Oh, sweetheart. Come on, climb in and buckle up; we will go see Daddy." Throughout the 10 minute drive back to the _Daily Planet_ building, Lois cast nervous glances in Jason's direction. Had her impulsiveness in getting on that boat hurt her son permanently?

After they arrived at the newspaper office and hugs had been given all around, Lois settled Jason down at her desk with a coloring book and crayons. "I am going to talk to Daddy in his office for a bit; just stay here, okay?" She motioned to Clark to keep an eye on the boy for a few minutes. He responded with a thumbs up and a goofy grin. She turned back towards Richard's office, rolling her eyes. Typical Clark.

"Richard, I think we need to take Jason to a therapist," Lois said, as soon as his office door shut behind her. "He was crying about the boat when I picked him up just now."

"I think it is a bit early for that! It just happened a few days ago; he may get over it himself. I know it was a traumatic experience for a kid, but if we make a big deal out of it, he will too. Let's try to play it low key at first and see what happens."

Lois leaned on the windowsill and gazed down at the cars below, biting her lower lip. Richard walked over to her and put his arm around her. "I know that you feel a little … bad, for lack of a better word, that Jason had this experience, but you shouldn't blame yourself too much. Your spontaneity is one of your great qualities. Just think how many fun experiences Jason has had because of it! Now can I see a little smile?"

She looked up at him and nodded a bit and produced the desired smile with effort. Richard really was an amazingly sweet man. She just wished she could make herself love him as much as he deserved, instead of always thinking of someone else. The someone else who was always present in her head, even during the long five years when she pretended to herself that he wasn't and that she didn't care.

Lois headed back to the newsroom. Normally Jason stayed at the _Daily Planet _offices for a few hours after school until either she or Richard could head home for the evening, but since Jason wasn't his usual cheerful self, she wanted to take him home now. She was surprised to find, however, that the boy appeared to be feeling better: Jason was sitting on Clark's desk, listening to him attentively. As she approached, he broke out in a fit of giggles. "Well! What's going on here?" she asked. Smiling, Lois picked up her son.

"Mr. Kent was just telling me funny stories about his trip. Mommy, did you know that some people live on boats? They have their beds and their toys and their pets and everything right on the boat! Can we live on a boat, Mommy, please?" Lois raised her eyebrows at Clark. This was quite a sudden change.

Clark looked a little sheepish. "He seemed upset, so I thought I'd tell him about some of my friends who live on a boat. Hope that's ok."

Lois looked at him carefully. Who knew he was so good with kids? "Yeah, fine, thanks. Jase, say good night to Mr. Kent, we are going to head home now." With a wave in the direction of Richard's office, they headed towards the door.

As the elevator slowly traveled down, Jason looked up at his mother. "Mom, why doesn't Mr. Kent wear his Superman suit when he is working at the newspaper?"


	2. Nighttime Thoughts

Chapter 2 – Nighttime Thoughts

That night, Clark hovered outside Jason's window. He was wearing his Superman suit; if Lois or Richard caught him out here dressed in his regular clothes, they would be, to say the least, alarmed. As Clark, he had no right to be here, but as Superman, he could come up with some plausible reason for his presence.

He knew all the reasons that he had to keep his real identity a secret from the world at large, but it bothered him that Lois thought that Superman was Jason's father. Superman was just a fantasy in a blue and red suit. He was Clark Kent. Yes, he was Kal-El too, and it was true that as Superman he could share his Kryptonian heritage with his son. But he wanted Jason to know him as a person, not a superhero. He wanted him to meet his grandmother Martha and to know that his father had thoughts and feelings just like every other person.

Clark knew that Lois didn't remember that he was Superman. He had erased her memory quite effectively after their one night together, and she wasn't a good enough actress to treat him so indifferently if the memory had returned. He wondered what had made her realize that Jason was his son. It must have been a extraordinary display of power, something she couldn't ignore. She was undoubtedly wondering how this happened, since she couldn't possibly remember that they had ever made love.

Last week, as soon as Clark learned that Lois had a son and fiancée, he had made the decision that he wasn't going to tell her who he was. He loved her, but he knew that he could not give her the kind of life she deserved, the kind of life she could have with Richard. However, now that Clark knew that he was Jason's father, he was going to have to tell her. This had gone beyond his love for Lois, as great as that was. His priority now was his son.

Lois stared at the ceiling. The moonlight through the window cast interesting shadows on the ceiling as Richard snored softly beside her. Jason thought Clark Kent was Superman! Her first impulse in the elevator had been to laugh. In fact, she had laughed, but it quickly turned to a choking, gagging sensation as it occurred to her to wonder if he was right. She had had so many surprises this week, and, after all, Superman had to have some real-life identity; she assumed that he didn't get groceries and pay the light bill and all the other mundane jobs of life while wearing that cape. Granted, he didn't have to be someone she knew; hell, he could be the mailman or Tom Cruise or the President. Not that this wasn't a train of thought she had been following since the day they first met, but suddenly it was a lot more important.

Her heart had done a triple flip when Jason had pushed – no, _thrown_ – that piano across the room. Superman had disappeared six weeks before she discovered she was pregnant, and she had been seeing Richard for over a month by that time. It never occurred to her to question the baby's parentage, especially since, as far as she recalled, she and Superman had never made love. And, really, if it had happened, she wasn't likely to forget it – not when she had been in love with him from day one! But the piano incident had forced her to realize that, lack of memory or not, Jason had to be Superman's son. At some point, she was going to have to ask him how that had happened. She just had to get up the nerve. And then she had to tell Richard.

She rolled over on her stomach and softly beat the pillow with her fists. It was going to be a long night.


	3. Superman

Chapter 3 – Superman

Lois arrived at the _Daily Planet_ office just as the sun pushed over the horizon. It was Richard's day to take Jason to school, and then he was going to be out of the office all day in meetings. She was glad; she didn't want to have him watching her all day as she wrestled with the questions buzzing around in her head.

The _Planet_ building had weathered the earthquake fairly well. Aside from the globe at the top of the building rolling off – which would have been almost funny if it hadn't been so dangerous – the only damage to the building was a lot of broken windows. And of course a fantastic mess inside, but a solid day of cleaning and straightening by hundreds of janitorial staff had soon fixed that. Old buildings like this one were hard to bring down.

The newsroom was dark. The _Planet_ had a small staff that worked through the night to cover any events that might come up, but their offices were in a different area. Lois flipped the light switch and headed toward her desk. Some time alone in this place, the room that was more her home then any other, was just what she needed.

"Good morning!" Or not. Lois turned around and saw Clark by the coffee machine, setting it up to brew the industrial strength beverage that was the blood of a newsroom.

"Why were you standing in the dark?" Clark stuttered for a second; he couldn't very well explain that he didn't need light.

"Um… I just hadn't gotten to the light switch yet." Lois didn't press the point; she was too tired. Also her stomach had just started hurting, the feeling she always got when she was nervous. She knew that she would never get a better time to talk to Clark privately, but she wasn't sure she was ready. She sat down at her desk and switched on the computer. She typed in her password … Superman … and thought, _better just do it_.

"Clark, I need to ask you a question." He strolled over and sat in a desk chair near hers. She looked around; the room was silent. There was no one else here. Clark was looking her expectantly. Now or never. But, really, she was about to puke. Did it have to be now? Yes, now!

"This is going to sound nuts, but…" She gulped in a deep breath. "Are you Superman?"

Clark looked at her carefully. He didn't answer as he studied her eyes, the curve of her chin, the rapidly spreading blush on her cheeks. He felt like his chest would explode if he didn't grab her and hold her tight. He knew that for his own sake, not to mention Jason's, he had to tell her the truth.

"Yes."

Lois gasped. She had half-expected that Jason was right, but to hear it confirmed took her breath away. Clark! Clumsy, aww-shucks-gee, Mid-Western, corn-fed farm boy Clark Kent was Superman! She bent over and placed her forehead on her knees; she could hear her heart pounding in her ears. But suddenly her stomach felt a lot better.

Clark gently caressed the back of her head. "Are you ok, Lois? … You haven't fainted, that's a good sign."

Lois sat back up suddenly. "I do not faint! Well, I mean, I _have_ fainted, but those were two very extreme circumstances!" Clark unsuccessfully tried to hide a small smile.

Lois sighed and looked away. Where did she want to lead this conversation now? The elevator door was opening; if they were going to continue talking, it would have to be somewhere else. She looked back at Clark. "Would you go for a walk in the park with me?" He nodded and stood. They greeted Jimmy as he got off the elevator with excuses about breakfast and planning their stories and then fell into silence as the doors slid shut. Clark and Lois looked at each other steadily as Lois slowly held out her hand.


	4. Confessions

Chapter 4 - Confessions

The silence continued on the park bench for five full minutes. They were still holding hands. Finally, Clark decided to start the ball rolling: "How did you realize that Jason is my son?"

Lois gave him a brief sketch of the piano incident, and then had a question of her own. "When did we make love? I mean, I assume that we did, unless you have a previously unknown power of just making random women pregnant. Why don't I remember it?"

Clark shifted a bit nervously on the bench. This was going to be awkward and difficult. "It was not too long before I left. You figured out who I was, and then you told me you loved me."

She blushed to the roots of her hair and started to speak, but Clark motioned for her to let him finish.

"And since I love you, too" – he deliberately phrased this in the present tense – "making love just sort of … happened. But later you were so distraught about us, about how we would make this work with me flying off into the night to rescue people, and not being able to tell anyone who I am, that my heart was just breaking for you. You were in so much pain, and you had me convinced, too, that it wouldn't work. I impulsively decided to erase your memory. It was the wrong choice, but it was done, and I couldn't change it. That was the reason I left. Yes, I wanted to look for Krypton, but mainly it was just because I just couldn't handle looking at you every day." He was looking at the ground, but he could feel her eyes on him. Lois touched his cheek and Clark looked at her.

"You love me," she stated. It wasn't a question. He nodded.

"I love you, too," she whispered.

"Me, or Superman?"

Lois jumped a little in her seat. She hadn't expected the question. "Um, well …"

Seeing that she didn't know how to answer, Clark went on. "That day you told me you loved me, I was too thrilled to think of that question. But later I remembered how you always ignored me at work, and I realized that maybe it was just the idea of Superman that you were in love with. Lois, it is important that you understand this: Clark Kent is who I am. Superman is what I do."

Lois had recovered by this point. "I admit that when Superman is around, it is hard to concentrate on anything else. That is why you didn't get much of my attention, because I always had Superman on the brain. But please believe me that, had Superman never existed, you would have captivated me with your intelligence, your kindness and your gentle nature. I know that one day I would have woken up to the fact that I loved you. So I am being absolutely truthful when I say this: I love you, Clark Kent."

Neither one was sure who had started the kiss, suddenly it was just happening. They were standing and holding each other so tightly that he had to be very careful not to crush her. They finally broke the connection, struggling for breath. Lois leaned against his chest, her head tucked under his chin, and she listened to his heartbeat.

"Let's walk a bit," Clark said, "while we discuss what to do next." He took her hand and pulled her away from the bench.

Lois looked up at him as they walked. "I am a complete jumble right now," she said. "Can you just give me an idea of what you want to happen?"

"I have two wishes," Clark said. "First, I want a relationship with Jason, and I want it as Clark, not Superman." Lois nodded as Clark continued, "And the second wish is really up to you … I want you. I love you. I want to wake up with you and go to sleep with you and every thing in between. I want the three of us to be a family."

Tears flowed silently down Lois's cheeks. Clark's heart skipped a beat. Was she crying because she agreed or because she didn't? It felt like his entire life was hanging on a thread, waiting for her response. The silence stretched out to what felt like eternity. Finally she spoke.

"I want that too," Lois said. Clark felt like jumping up and down and shouting for joy. "It is impossible for me to go on pretending to Richard that he is the love of my life, even if wanted to, which I don't. And now that I know he isn't Jason's father, he has to be told that, too. I know he will get over losing me, but I am really worried about how he will react to losing Jason. He believes I was in love with Superman, so if I told him that Superman was Jason's father, some part of him wouldn't be too surprised. But I have to tell him that Clark Kent is Jason's father. Richard is going to be completely stunned and very hurt."

Clark sighed. "I admit that I don't have any wisdom to offer on this one, Lois. I don't know how to handle it either. But for right now, let's head back to the _Planet _and get on with our work. We probably should just take today to think about all of this. But at least now we know what direction we are headed in."

He leaned over and gave her a brief, gentle kiss, holding her chin with one hand and caressing her hair with the other. Lois's heart felt like it was going to jump through her throat. She smiled up at him.

"Ok. Let's go."

_--The End--_


End file.
